The invention relates to a winch that is mounted onto a boom of a host vehicle at the custom tool attachment point.
Construction and transportation activities can require boom mounted winch capability for a number of reasons. In some cases, a winch is needed in a confined area which is accessible by a crane mounted winch. In other instances, the mobility of a mobile vehicle equipped with a boom and winch for moving and lifting is desirable.
One application for a boom mounted winch is in connection with utility infrastructure replacement and rehabilitation. The buried utility pipes present access problems. A premium is placed on using manholes and other existing access areas. If excavation can be avoided, a significant savings in both cost and time can be realized. Equipment that provides both mobility and flexibility for rehabilitation can be of significant practical benefit.
A winch that is mounted on a boom of a vehicle has the ability to make use of existing access areas. The host vehicle must provide a stable platform for extension of the boom and use of the winch. In such an apparatus, the boom is positioned so that the winch can pull equipment such as a cleaning bucket or a slip lining segment through the host pipe.
The inherent mobility of the host vehicle allows a great deal of flexibility. It can rapidly move from location to location with minimal set-up and take-down time. A further benefit of a boom mounted winch includes a variety of surface applications. The winch on the host vehicle can accomplish any task that is required of a regular winch such as pulling or lifting loads on the surface. As with the underground applications, the mobility of the host vehicle offers the flexibility of moving from location to location with great ease while providing a stable platform to operate the winch.
A boom mounted winch spooled with cable has been developed for use in both down hole and surface applications. The winch is surrounded by a housing that allows for free movement of the cable as it is spooled and unspooled from the winch. The housing is provided with an attachment means for engagement with the boom of the host vehicle. In one embodiment, the housing is a frame that surrounds the winch. Further, the frame can be constructed to withstand substantial weight, including the force of the weight of the host vehicle and the boom. The attachment means on the housing for engagement with the boom can be constructed similarly to attachment points for other custom tools used with host vehicles.
The host vehicle is a construction vehicle such as an excavator, backhoe or loader mounted with the boom. The winch can be placed on the end of a boom at the custom tool attachment point typically used to mount a bucket of a backhoe of the host vehicle. The mechanism for spooling and unspooling the cable on the winch can utilize a hydraulic system and, more particularly, the hydraulic system that is provided on the host vehicle. The winch may also include a brake mechanism to control the spooling and unspooling of the cable.
In another embodiment, the boom mounted winch housing is attached to a down hole boom with guide means on the down hole boom to position the cable. The down hole boom is a set of C-beams of adjustable length which uses an adjustable guide roller as a guide means.
In further embodiments, the boom mounted winch includes a winch drum spooled with the cable, and the housing is a rectangular frame housing that surrounds the winch and allows free movement of the cable. The attachment means to the boom includes at least two extensions from the frame provided with connection points used for custom tool connections to the booms of mobile vehicles. A power means is provided on the winch as well as a brake means for controlling the spooling and unspooling of the cable on the winch. The frame housing can withstand the weight of the mobile vehicle and the boom. A friction pad selectively contacts the winch drum for braking and controlling the spooling and unspooling of the cable.